Trishna Bharadia attends Women of the Year Lunch

Trishna Bharadia, 35, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in 2008 has been selected in recognition of her personal contribution to society and MS charities to join over 400 women from all walks of life at the special 60th anniversary Women of the Year Lunch, took place on Monday 19 October 2015 at the InterContinental London Park Lane Hotel.

Trishna, who was most recently seen dancing on our television screens on the BBC1 show ���The People�۪s Strictly for Comic Relief,�۝ attended in celebration of her work with various MS-related charities. More information about what she does for some of these charities can be found below. Despite also holding down a full-time job, she is an avid campaigner for raising awareness about this highly misunderstood neurological condition, particularly within the Asian community. On ���The People�۪s Strictly�۝ she smashed stereotypes of the condition, showing how someone is able to live positively with this disease. Her work has had far-reaching consequences for both the MS- and non-MS communities and she has been recognised by a number of high-profile organisations for her contribution to the MS cause.

MS Society & Asian MS: ���Trishna was the MS Society�۪s Volunteer of the Year in 2013. She�۪s been on the committee of the MS Society�۪s Asian MS support group since 2011, speaking at events and founding and editing their newsletter. Trishna regularly blogs for the MS Society<http://www.mssociety.org.uk/get-involved/volunteering/volunteering-blog/2014/06/why-i-volunteer-trishnas-story>, speaks at events including ��Living with MS�۪ days, was recently guest speaker at a reception hosted at 10 Downing Street for MS Society volunteers and has been involved in a number of the society�۪s information, volunteer recruitment and fundraising campaigns, among other things.�۝

MS-UK: ���Trishna has been a committed supporter of MS-UK for many years, and is an active contributor to their bi-monthly magazine for people affected by multiple sclerosis, New Pathways. In early 2015, Trishna took part in the MS-UK annual awareness campaign alongside West Ham United FC and Paralympic Gold medallist, Stephanie Millward.�۝

Sue Ryder: ���Trishna won the Sue Ryder Southern Women of Achievement Volunteer of the Year award in March 2015. Since winning the award she has become an ambassador for Sue Ryder. She works closely with their Duchess of Kent and Nettlebed Hospices to raise awareness of the palliative care they offer to people with MS and other neurological conditions. As such, she has helped develop a specialist ��Living Well With MS�۪ course that starts on 28 September ��� the first of its kind at a Sue Ryder hospice.�۝

MS Trust: ���Trishna has been a great supporter of the MS Trust for many years, and in 2014 she did a wonderful job helping us promote Making Sense of MS, our new resource designed to help people who�۪ve just been diagnosed with MS. Thanks to her work, thousands of people with MS were able to find the right information at the right time for them.�۝

Trishna comments, ���I was completely shocked when I received the lunch and awards invitation, which said I�۪d been named a Woman of the Year 2015. The judging panel and previous attendees are all such hugely inspiring women and I�۪m honoured to be considered one of them. I hope that this will help to further raise awareness about the impact that MS can have on day-to-day living, not just for the person who has it but also for their families, carers, friends and those around them like employers. It is through education that we will gain more understanding from the public about this degenerative and progressive neurological condition.�۝

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Women of the Year has recognised, celebrated and inspired women of all backgrounds since 1955 and continues to shine a light on extraordinary women through an annual Lunch & Awards ceremony, lecture and on-going foundation work.

The Women of the Year Lunch & Awards brings together more than 400 extraordinary women, all of whom have achieved something of significance. Each guest is regarded as a ��Woman of the Year�۪ and represents not only herself, but the millions of women who make a difference every day.

Sandi Toksvig, President of Women of the Year, said: ���The Women of the Year has celebrated the wonderful achievements of women since 1955. Everyone involved is incredibly proud to see so many extraordinary women carrying the torch of those who came before. The remarkable women who make up the attendees and winners at this year�۪s Lunch are being recognised for their strides in making the world a better place.�۝

Exceptional women will receive special awards at the Lunch for being an inspiration to others, demonstrated by their courage, selflessness and dedication. These special Women of the Year awards are sponsored by Barclays, DFS,��Good Housekeeping, ITV�۪s��Lorraine��and Prudential and will be announced on Monday 19 October 2015.

Recent Women of the Year winners include:

Doreen Lawrence, campaigner for justice following the murder of her son Stephen in 1993

Fahma Mohammed, anti-FGM activist

Founder of the Iranian and Kurdish Women�۪s Rights Organisation, Diana Nammi

Christina Noble, founder of The Christina Noble Children�۪s Foundation

Katie Piper, who set up a charity to help burns survivors after being victim of a brutal acid attack

Team GB 2012 Olympic & Paralympic Women Medallists

Joanne Thompson, who set up Millie�۪s Trust with her husband Dan in memory of their daughter Millie, who passed away when she was nine months old whilst at nursery

Previous attendees of the Women of the Year Lunch have included: Christiane Amanpour OBE, Fern Britton, Yasmin Alibhai Brown, Marie Colvin, Mel Geidroyc, Lindsay Lohan, Ellen MacArthur, Eimear McBride, Arlene Phillips, Zandra Rhodes, Margaret Thatcher, Jenny Tinmouth, Tina Turner, Fiona Wade, Harriet Walter, Julie Walters, Jacqueline Wilson and Kimberley Wyatt.